Trace-fastener.



Patented July 2, MN. I. L. EDWARDS. TRACE FASTENER.

(Applibation filed Jan. 7, 1901.)

(no Model.)

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llNrTnn STATES PATENT @rrrca.

ISAAC L. EDWARDS, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

TRACE-FASQTENER.

S1EQIEIG&EZON forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,345, dated July 2,1 901.

Application filed January 7, 1901. Serial No. 42,426. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC L. EDWARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of lilinois, haveinvented a new and useful Trace- Fastener, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to trace-fasteners, and has forits object toprovide animproved device of this character which is complete in itself,so that it maybe conveniently applied to the end of a whiftletree, andconstructed so as to facilitate the application and removal of a traceto the end of the whiffietree, and at the same time arranged to preventaccidental displacement of the trace while in use.

lVith this and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed outin the appended claim, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improvedtrace-fastener. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding partsin bot-h ofthe figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of the fastener, whichis formed of metal and gradually tapered from one end to the other, thelarger end bein g socketed lon gitudinally, as at 2, for the receptionof one end of a whiftletree 3. The smaller outer end of the body issolid and substantially elliptical in cross-sectional shape and alsoprovided with a longitudinal bifurcation 4,the back end wall of which isbeveled orinclined downwardly and outwardly, as shown at 5. The outerextremity of the body is also beveled or inclined downwardly andinwardly, as at 6.

A trace-fastening latch 7 is carried at the outer end of the body andcomprises an enlarged head portion having a reduced intermediatelongitudinal stem 8, received within the bifurcation of the body andsupported therein upon a transverse pivot-pin 9, so that the latch maynormally hang with its weighted or heavy head portion at the under sideof the whiffletree and the stem projecting above the whiffietree,whereby the latch projects at opposite sides of the whiffletree andforms a stop to prevent accidental outward displacement of a trace,which has been shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. At asuitable distance inwardly from the inner end of the bifurcation 4 thereis provided an annular shoulder 10, which is designed to form a stop tolimit the inward play of the trace upon the body of the fastener.

In applying a trace to the fastener the head of the latch is swungupwardly upon its pivot, whereby the stem is received flush within thebifurcation and the head forms a continuation of the tapered outer endof the body, so that the eye of the trace may be conveniently slippedover the end of the body and against the annular shoulder 10. Just assoon as the trace clears the inner end of the latch or the free end ofthe stem the heavier or head end of the latch drops downwardly bygravity into its normal position at substantially right angles to thewhiffletree and across the outer side of the trace, whereby a stop isformed to prevent outward displacement of the trace. To remove thetrace, the latch is swung upwardly, as hereinbefore described, wherebythe extremity of the body is free from stop projections and the tracemay be readily slipped from the extremity of the whiffletree.

It will be observed that the free end of the stem or inner end of thelatch is beveled, as at 11, to correspond to the beveled end wall of thebifurcation in the body and is also designed to prevent the stem frombeing caught in the edges of the eye of the trace when it is swungdownwardly into the bifurcation in the body to permit of the trace beingremoved, or, in other words, the beveled end of the stem will ride overor against the adjacent side of the trace without hanging or bindingthereon. Also the shoulders formed at opposite sides of the reduced stemand the corresponding end portions of the body 1 are cor respondinglybeveled, so that there may be no binding between the head of the latchand the end of the body when the latch is swung upwardly to permit ofthe application and removal of a trace.

'From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the presentdevice is complete in itself, so that it may be made independently ofthe whiffletree and afterward applied to the end of any ordinarywhiffletree Without altering or changingthe same beyond slightlyreducing the same to fit snugly the socketed portion of the body.Moreover, the device presents a practically integral fastener, as it hasno applied springs or separate parts, whereby the device is renderedstrong and durable.

What is claimed is A combined trace-fastener and whifdetreeferrule,consisting of a solid tapered body, having an intermediate integralannular enlargement forming a shoulder, the inner and larger end of thebody being socketed longitudinally to form a ferrule for the receptionof one end of a whiffletree, and the opposite smaller end beingbifurcated longitudinally,

with the inner end wall of the bifurcation beveled or inclined, and aninverted substantially T-shaped latch, which has its stem portionintermediately pivoted between the sides of the bifurcation, with itsouter end beveled ISA A0 L. E D\VARDS.

Witnesses:

E. A. SMITH, EDWIN LITSEY.

